The present invention relates to improvements in clip nuts. More particularly, it relates to the provision of clip nuts that are simple in design, are capable of being mass-produced in an economical manner, and which will not scratch the surfaces or contribute to any corrosion of a metal member upon which they are installed.
Clip nuts are adapted to clip onto a first member to which a second member is to be joined by use of a connector bolt or screw that extends through openings in the two members and screws into the clip nut. An example clip nut is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,064, granted Aug. 26, 1990, to Anthony H. Lozano, and assigned to the Shur-Lok Corporation of Irvine, California. This patent and the patent publications referred to in it provide an adequate background to this invention and are thus hereby incorporated herein for that purpose.
There is a need for an easy to manufacture clip nut that will not mar the surfaces of the member on which the clip nut is installed. An object of the present invention is to provide such a clip nut.
The present invention provides a plastic clip nut that is easy to install onto an edge portion of a panel and which is constructed to minimize the scratching or marring of the surfaces of the panel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a clip nut having a plastic clip-body and a metal nut secured to the body in a manner permitting the nut to float in an amount sufficient to make it easy to insert a bolt into the nut. The plastic body is constructed to adequately brace the metal nut and prevent it from turning while the screw is being screwed into the metal nut.
Clip nuts of the present invention are basically characterized by a clip-body constructed from plastic and including a transverse hinge section in a first arm, close to where the first arm joins an end wall. Sidewalls are provided on the first arm. They extend upwardly from the first arm substantially throughout the full extent of the first arm between the hinge section and an open end of the clip-body opposite the end wall. The sidewalls stiffen the first arm and substantially restrict bending of the first arm to the hinge section region of the first arm.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a clip-body having a first arm and a second arm in which the first arm includes an opening in a region of the first arm that is substantially parallel to the second arm, and in which the first arm slopes downwardly as it extends from the transverse hinge section to the region in the first arm that includes the opening.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide a cam section at the open end of the clip-body, having a cam surface that slopes upwardly and endwise outwardly at the open end of the clip-body. The cam surface serves to cam a member into the clip-body between the first and second arms of the clip-body.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide the second arm with an opening and an annular locator wall extending up from the second arm around the opening. In preferred form, the annular locator wall has an upper end that is in a plane that slopes upwardly as it extends inwardly of the clip-body from the open end of the clip-body. This end surface of the annular locator wall serves to cam a member into the clip-body between the first and second arms of the clip-body.
In one embodiment, the first arm includes a pair of laterally extending fences on opposite sides of the opening in the first end of the first arm. A nut is provided which includes a base having end edges that are substantially parallel to the fences. The width of the base of the nut between the end surfaces is smaller than the distance between the two fences. Preferably also, the base of the nut includes side edges that are spaced apart a distance smaller than the spacing across the clip-body between the sidewalls.
Objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description set forth below, from the drawings, and from the principles that are embodied in the specific structures that are illustrated and described.